Chapter 381: Chapter 381

Returning from the cemetery that evening, Jenkins had already faced Chocolate's clawed protests. Leaving the cat home alone tonight was simply not an option.

Jenkins mulled it over and decided to try the ritual Magic Miss had provided. To his surprise, he discovered that Chocolate could also be a target for the projection, and bringing his cat to Ruen was far easier than bringing a person.

With that settled, the cat would now have the chance to experience the charm of a foreign capital in the far north.

He changed his clothes, then sat stroking the small cat purring on his lap as he watched the pocket watch on the table.

On the stroke of seven, a tug from above created the sensation of being lifted into the air. A second later, he was still seated, but the scene before him had utterly transformed.

The room was dim, lit only by the flickering flames of a fireplace.

A soft, blue-and-white rug lay before the hearth, surrounded by five or six heavy-backed chairs. Miss Miller and Jenkins each occupied one of them.

He could just make out the room's decor in the faint light. It was a very large house indeed.

From the furnishings, it appeared to be a living room or parlor. A vast, open space stretched behind the chairs, with a coffee table and sofa at the far end of the room. Against the wall stood bookshelves and display tables adorned with gold and silver trinkets.

he remarked, his first observation of this foreign land.

"You'll get used to it."

Miss Miller tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and chuckled. "It seems the process went smoothly. I was worried your ritual might have some issues. It's quite a fascinating one. I can't imagine where you found it."

"It cost me eight thousand pounds—my entire fortune,"

he said, spreading his hands toward the hearth to warm them. The memory of his vanished assets stung once more.

Miss Miller seemed to be doing quite well for herself here; a house was far beyond what an ordinary person could afford to rent.

There was still some light outside the window, the glow of the twin moons allowing Jenkins to faintly see the snowdrifts. This was a true kingdom of ice and snow; what they called snow in Nolan was nothing in comparison.

"Is life in Ruen treating you well? Do you need any help?"

he asked, out of courtesy.

"Very well. I've made some new friends."

Her smile seemed to hold a deeper meaning, but Jenkins couldn't quite decipher it. "If you're willing, you could certainly help me with something. But tonight's main purpose is to show you around the city. If you want to enrich your new book, you mustn't miss the sight of Ruen at night."

"I'd appreciate that."

He held out his hand, and a flame bloomed in his palm. "The person who emptied my wallet wasn't lying. The improved ritual really does allow the projection to wield the original body's full power."

Of course, it came at a price. The spirit consumption was nearly double the normal rate. If not for that, Jenkins might have suspected Magic Miss of being the god of rituals herself.

Following Miss Miller out of the room, Jenkins found that even with his suspicions, the sheer size of the residence surpassed his imagination. Get full chapters from novel_fіre.net

It was practically a small estate. What was more astounding was its location in the very heart of Ruen, with a clear view of the brightly lit royal palace on a distant hill.

"Can studying mathematics really make you rich this fast?"

he wondered in amazement as he followed Miss Miller outside, their feet crunching in the snow. He felt no sense of being a projection; every sensation was completely real.

As long as he stayed near the spiritual lodestone in Miss Miller's hand, his spirit reserves were enough to sustain himself and his cat here for three days.

Assuming, of course, that he used none of his abilities or Bestowals.

The snow in the courtyard had been cleared, but the small path was already threatened by fresh flakes drifting down from the sky. Chocolate refused to emerge from his overcoat pocket, ignoring Jenkins's insistent pats.

"This is the house of a friend I recently met. When she heard I didn't have a place to stay in Ruen, she offered to let me borrow it for a while,"

Miss Miller explained, leading Jenkins toward the gate. The wind was bone-chilling, and each breath plumed into a white cloud. He was glad he'd changed into warmer clothes before the ritual; otherwise, he might catch a cold by morning.

"Can a projection even catch a cold?"

The thought amused him.

"Your friend must be quite wealthy. Is she an Enchanter?"

"Yes. I discovered it quite by accident. But she's very cautious. I need your help to 'accidentally' let her discover my identity as well."

"That's no problem at all."

Jenkins considered his acting skills to be masterful.

The Hamparvo Kingdom was the largest of the three great kingdoms by land area, but its extreme weather left vast regions completely uninhabitable.

However, thanks to its immense territory, factories didn't have to compete with cities for land. The royal family had the foresight to designate special industrial zones on the outskirts of major cities, grouping similar factories together to streamline transportation planning and the shipping of raw materials.

As a result, Ruen's air quality was excellent. Not a single plume of smoke could be seen on the horizon.

But the city's planning and public services were also lagging. The streets were lined with two- and three-story stone houses that had an antiquated feel, and due to poor planning, steam pipes crawled up the exterior walls. The resulting streetscape was rather unsightly, at least when compared to Nolan or Shire City.

After leaving the mansion's courtyard, Jenkins and Miss Miller strolled side-by-side down the street for a while as she shared some local anecdotes and customs.

A flurry of snowflakes quickly dusted their shoulders and hair, leaving two sets of footprints trailing behind them. He'd read in the papers that Ruen was planning to install streetlights, but for now, the streets remained dark.

As they rounded a corner, two patrolling policemen carrying oil lamps approached from the other end of the street. Jenkins instinctively tensed, ready to slip away, but then remembered they were doing nothing illegal. Ruen had no curfew.

The officers, bundled in heavy greatcoats, must have decided that Jenkins and Miss Miller, with their refined air, didn't look like troublemakers. They offered a polite greeting, advised them to head home soon, and continued on their way.

The streets were empty of pedestrians. There was none of the drunken clamor or alleyway whispers so common on a Nolan night. Winter nights in Ruen were silent nights.

And above, the twin moons still shone down on Jenkins.